1. Field of the Invention
The invention is generally related to the area of hydrogen generator. More particularly, the present invention is related to maintenance-free on-demand and high-efficient hydrogen and oxygen (oxy-hydrogen) generator using a small amount of electricity, where the oxy-hydrogen generated may be used as a source of energy to empower many types of machines running on combustion engines currently using fossil fuels or fuel cells.
2. The Background of Related Art
A hydrogen generator that creates hydrogen (H2) may come in many different varieties. One example is the hydrogen generator for automotive that creates hydrogen through either the electrolysis of water or reformation or extraction of another hydrogen-rich chemical. Some vehicles may use a hydrogen-rich chemical compound such as sodium borohydride, ammonia, methanol or even gasoline to generate the hydrogen by reformation or extraction. The resulting hydrogen will then be run through a fuel cell or internal combustion engine to power the vehicle.
There are a couple of types of hydrogen generators that use hydrogen to create electricity. One example of a small, portable hydrogen-powered generator for emergency use or for remote areas is where electricity is not readily available. A larger hydrogen-powered generator such as those produced by the Hydra Fuel Cell Corporation use the gas and a stationary fuel cell to create electricity for a home.
There is another kind of hydrogen generator that creates hydrogen, uses the gas to create power, and is often used in a power plant. It uses coal gasification to extract the hydrogen while sequestering the carbon dioxide (CO2). The carbon dioxide is then pumped underwater or underground such as in abandoned oil wells for permanent storage. The hydrogen is then used to run through a large turbine to create clean electricity.
As one can see, hydrogen releases energy when it is combined with oxygen, although a hydrogen generator needs to be defined by its function as well as whether it is powered by hydrogen or creates the gas to generate power or for another use. One thing is for certain that hydrogen is a versatile element that can provide clean power.
Hydrogen, however, does not come free or occur naturally in practice. Production of hydrogen from water often requires more energy than it can produce for actual use as energy. Efficiency of generating hydrogen from free or low-cost material such as water has been long sought.